I used to get £160 a week, before/after school, 2 nights babysitting and the occasional during the day. I'm an English speaker, so they preferred to pay more for the English. I then paid all my own expenses during the week!

It's 4 years since we were in London with an au pair, ours worked 9-6 Mon-Fri with a one-hour lunch break (I worked from home), so 40 hours if my maths is correct, and two nights' baby-sitting (although we rarely used both nights). We paid £180 then, plus she got food and board.

She's not really an au pair if she's British as its meant to be a cultural exchange. I would pay min wage minus the accom allowance which is about £90, give a travel card and pay extra (£5/hour for babysitting).

I would pay by hour as it wouldn't be an au pair situation. You can pay minimum wage. I would then pay £6 hour babysitting on top. The amount you can 'deduct' for accomodation is quite low. HERE IS THE INFO from UK.Gov on minimum wage and deductions.

Thanks all, v v helpful. As Karo says, the min wage minus the standard accommodation rate gets me to £90 per week which is roughly what I had in mind and what bbkl pays for a similar arrangement.I really don't think she'd need a bus pass as everything is on our doorstep including all DS's activities plus pubs, restaurants, gyms, parks, cinema, shopping etc for her days off. But maybe I could offer a different perk for the same value as I don't want to short change her!

Footie, if the girl is living as apart of the family, sharing family life then it matters not a jot if she is British or foreign, she will still count as an au pair. Minimum wage therefore does not apply, but paid holidays, and parts of the working time directive do (some exclusions around breaks, but not about overall hours worked generally).

OP, it is best to stick below £100 a week because just above that level you need to start registering for tax, NI, etc

By the way, IIRC, sharing family meals is one of the key criteria for being part of family life, as is whether they are invited to join in on family occasions/trips, etc, as part of the family. something to always bear in mind in working out difference between au pair and nanny.

Thanks Squiffy. She's definitely going to be a proper part of our family as she's only 18. It's a 6 month period to begin with (with potential to extend by mutual agreement) and she has one week of holiday booked so do I still pay her for that week she is off?

I know the legislation on pay and definitions is, um, a bit strange but I would still base the pay on minimum wage minus the nominal accommodation deduction. I think its unfair to pay any less to someone who is not what is typically thought of as an au pair. It's exploitive to pay less in my opinion.